You choose. Be happy.

So I haven’t been here for a while. But this was too good not to share.

Warning: This is about get a little preachy.

Life is all about choices. Whatever you do, whatever happens, you can choose happiness. It may be harder at times than others – I know that firsthand – but you can still choose. My favorite line of the whole thing?

“Enjoy  your relationship with yourself, and then anyone who comes in will enter into a party you already started.”

I got a party goin’ on. I love that.

Oh, another favorite: “If you don’t see yourself as valuable, nobody else will.”

And: “If you don’t like you, it makes it hard for me to like you.”

And my final favorite is: Relationships – with God, your spouse, your friends, your kids – are important because, “You can’t be fruitful by yourself.”

But stop reading. Go watch the video. It’s way better than I could ever say.

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Why we live here

As I carried in groceries the other night, I saw this.

Sunset cows

 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. We may not have a Starbucks on every corner in the country, but we see some gorgeous views day in and day out.

The gift that keeps on giving

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Note: I wrote this post several weeks ago and guess what? I never hit the “publish” button. Yep. That’s how organized I am. Better late than never, right?

A couple of summers ago, a friend of my mother-in-law posted on Facebook that she was thinning her iris bed and would share with anyone who wanted them. I quickly asked for some.

I love the whole idea of sharing plants. I’m not sure of the origin of Cindy’s irises, but I know that she’s had them a very long time.

And the best part about it all? Years from now, when my bed is full and I need to thin, I’ll share with someone else.

I will never look at a bloom out of this bed without thinking about the gift Cindy gave me. Long after she’s gone and long after I’m gone, those plants will be blooming. What better gift could there be?

Sunrise to sunset

Last weekend, we headed out to a show just as the sun was coming up.
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And arrived home just as the sun was setting.

I’d be hard pressed to think of a better way to spend the day than sharing an entire day with family. Beautiful photos courtesy of Kansas.

Angels o’er the plains

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o’er the plains

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Come to Bethlehem and see

Christ whose birth the angels sing

Come adore on bended knee

Christ the Lord the newborn King

To me, nothing spreads the spirit of Christmas more than Christmas music. There’s something about the combination of the familiar words and the comforting melodies that makes me slow down and reflect on the purpose of this glorious season.

But if truth be known, I’m really not all that choosy about my Christmas music, either. There’s a time and a place for “Joy to the World,” the same as there is for “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.” After all, who doesn’t have funny stories about that crazy relative who painted the fingernails of her praying hands figurine fire engine red? Hypothetically speaking, of course. <Read more>

Peterson Farm Brothers (and their sister) do it again

If you’ll remember, a while ago I shared a cute parody video by the Peterson Farm Brothers. They have done it again with a parody of Katy Perry’s “Roar.” And this time, their sister – who is normally behind the camera – makes an appearance. This one might be my favorite yet!

‘Tis the season of the UPS man

You know you do a little too much online shopping at Christmas when your husband says, “I really wish we  could have gotten the driveway graded before UPS man comes every day for two weeks.”

And I agreed.

I’m not so much worried about the pothole for our vehicle, but I have nightmares about a top-heavy brown truck overturned at the bottom of the hill. Somehow, I don’t think Amazon Prime free shipping covers that kind of damage.

Which brings me to my current game. I log on to my computer every morning to track where various packages are en route to my front door.

And this is what I saw this morning.

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My package made better than expected time last week and arrived in Wichita on Dec. 5. This is where the problem begins. Instead of my friendly UPS man delivering to my door, they transferred the package to the U.S. Postal Service. Mistake No. 1.

USPS transferred my package to Lincoln, Nebraska. Umm. That’s the wrong direction. Mistake No. 2. The USPS folks in Lincoln took one look at the western Kansas address and sent my package east to Omaha. The N on the side of those Nebraska football helmets is for “Knowledge,” you know. Mistake No. 3.

Luckily, the package has now arrived back in Wichita, where it was originally delivered five days ago.

There’s a reason the U.S. Postal Service is going out of business, people. And there’s a reason I pay to see the UPS man. But now instead of worrying about the brown truck overturned in the driveway, I have imagined a red flag pops up when a package comes through.

“These people need to work on their driveway. Pass it off to USPS.”

I really hope not, though. I’d like to get my orders before St. Patrick’s Day.

No excuse

So I have no excuse for not blogging. None.

But I can’t even wear socks that match my pants and shoes, so what do you expect?

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Seriously? I don’t even have the excuse of dressing in the dark. I thought these socks were black, just like my pants and shoes. Nope. Blue.

At least my shirt isn’t on inside out. Yes. That happened.

Does anyone else wonder how I manage? Because I do.

35 years of patience

My mother-in-law has driven the school bus for 35 years. God bless her.

There are gold stars for people like that; special places in Heaven for that kind.

She retired today. She deserves a few lazy mornings. And my son thought she deserved flowers on her last day.

 
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